by Eric Vall
“Okay, so we need a plan,” I said as she finished the last tie. “Ravi, how long do these sandstorms usually last?”
The tent was small around us, and the three of us took up nearly all of the space. Valerra, who was surprisingly dressed, lounged along the back of the tent, and her long legs stretched out in front of her as she brushed sand off her crimson dress.
“They can last anywhere from an hour to days,” Ravi replied. “My people once had one last five days. This storm seemed to be smaller from what I could see. I’d guess a few hours at most. Our best bet will be to just wait it out. Sandstorms can be deadly if you try to maneuver through them.”
“If we’re stuck in here, then I’m going back to sleep.” Valerra snatched up the pillow and laid down. Then she turned her back away from me and Ravi and stayed quiet.
Ravi grabbed the blanket from the corner and tossed it over. It landed beside Valerra’s head, and the dragon turned, looked at the blanket, and then narrowed her eyes at the phoenix. Without a word, Valerra snatched up the blanket and whipped back around to face the wall of the tent.
“You’re welcome,” Ravi whispered under her breath.
Ravi and I sat in silence for a while as Valerra’s snores filled the air. I shifted around to get comfortable, and Ravi sighed.
“Is she asleep?” she muttered with a glance at Valerra.
The wind still whipped around outside, and Ravi moved a little closer to me.
“I think so,” I whispered back. “Why?”
“I’m bored,” she answered with an honest shrug.
I quietly laughed.
“Are you hungry? I’m sure Julia packed us some pastries or something to eat. Or bread.”
Ravi’s eyes lit up at the mention of bread. “Yes, please!”
“You’ll turn into a glutton if you keep up this obsession with bread,” I teased as I pulled out the bag Julia had packed.
I finally found a small loaf of bread and passed it along to Ravi. She ravenously bit into it as I pulled out two more loaves for me and Valerra. Then I passed the phoenix a canteen.
“I thought your kind didn’t need to eat very often,” I said as I watched her finish the loaf before I’d even taken a bite. “How are you so hungry?”
“I don’t know. I think it has something to do with my magic. I’m practically a human right now.” She took a sip of water and grimaced.
“Is something wrong with the water?” I pulled my canteen to my nose and smelled it.
“No, I just don’t like it very much,” she explained. “No phoenixes do. We need it to live, but we prefer to get our water from our food.”
“You’re like cats,” I mused with a smile.
“What’s a cat?” she asked as she put the canteen down.
“It’s like a small animal.” I shrugged. “They catch mice and other rodents. Do you not have cats here?”
“I don’t know. I grew up isolated in the desert. I’m sure there are a plethora of animals I don’t know about.” She frowned. “Maybe once we save my people from the echidnas, I can find a cat.”
“Sure,” I chuckled, “if you ever find your way back to Hatra, I’ll show you a cat.”
The phoenix yawned, leaned against my side, and gestured to the other sleeping dragon. “I think Valerra had the right idea.”
“Sleepy?” I murmured as I leaned into the phoenix’s warmth.
Ravi closed her eyes and hummed in agreement. A few minutes later, her soft snores joined Valerra’s.
I looked around at the two women and sighed. Then I turned my head to rest it on top of Ravi’s and closed my eyes as well.
When we awoke a few hours later, the sandstorm had finally ended, and Ravi was still pressed against my side with her head on my shoulder. I tried to slide her off peacefully, but she blearily blinked at me as I moved. Then she noticed our position and quickly sat up with a red face.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.” Her blue eyes darted down to my lips for a second, and she shook her head.
“It’s fine,” I replied with a smile. “I fell asleep, too. I think the storm is over now, though, so we should probably get ready to go.”
I shook Valerra awake while Ravi untied the strings and pulled back the flaps. Sand poured in for a few seconds, but we were soon able to crawl out. We stood in the hot desert sun and stretched, and then Valerra took off to the side and immediately shifted back into her dragon body.
“That’s much better,” she rumbled as she spread her wings and soared into the sky.
“Thanks for the help!” I yelled after her as she flew higher.
She roared down in response, and I rolled my eyes.
Ravi and I watched as Valerra glided above us, and her crimson wings were bright against the blue sky. Then Ravi turned to the tent, pulled out the pillow and blanket, and began to take down the structure.
I walked over to assist her, and once everything was taken apart and stowed in my spatial storage, I shifted into my dragon form. Then Ravi climbed onto my back, and we rose into the sky.
“About damn time,” the crimson dragon snapped as we joined her.
“Shut up.” I rolled my shoulders to get Ravi’s attention. “Okay, navigator, which way?”
She was silent for a moment before she answered. “Continue straight ahead.”
I nodded and pushed forward, and Valerra followed after us. A few miles in, Ravi pointed down to the ground.
“Look, Lord Evan, another wagon!”
I glanced down and saw she was right. I could see the dark color of wood in contrast with the sand. I couldn’t sense any treasures within the ground, but I figured we might as well check it out.
“I see it. Let’s land and see if it has anything useful.”
I dove toward the dunes with Valerra behind me. When I touched down, Ravi climbed off my back and slid onto the ground, but Valerra stayed in her dragon form while I shifted. As we got closer to the object I’d seen from above, I realized it wasn’t a small wagon, it was a larger carriage. The paint had long worn off due to erosion from the sand, but there were still spots of navy blue scattered along the sides.
“The sandstorm must have uncovered it!” Ravi exclaimed as she took a look inside one of the windows, but then she froze. She gasped as she tried to take a step back and tripped on the step. Then she slipped off the end of the carriage, fell hard onto the sand, and winced.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked as I offered her my hand.
“I’m fine,” she replied in a quiet voice, “but we should go. There is nothing we need here.”
I looked back at the carriage and climbed the step. Then I peeked inside the window on the door, and my jaw clenched. Inside the carriage were six skeletons. Each skeleton had iron cuffs around their arms, and there were no clothes or shoes on them. Around the white bone of their necks hung a strip of fabric that was most likely used as some kind of gag, and each body had a different color.
I heard Valerra step up next to me and inhale sharply.
“Humans are even more worthless than I already knew if this is how they treat their own kind,” she sneered in disgust.
“They were slaves, weren’t they?” I looked away from the skeletons and at Valerra. “I thought slavery was illegal in Rahma?”
“It wasn’t always. And legality never seemed to bother slave traders.”
“How long ago do you think this happened?” I asked.
“They are nothing but bones,” Valerra muttered, “I’m sure it’s been a few hundred years at least.”
“What about the slavers?” I questioned. “Do you think their bones are buried under the sand somewhere?”
“Unlikely,” the other dragon replied. “They most likely took whatever animal was pulling this carriage and abandoned the slaves here.”
I clenched my fists and looked back at the skeletons. Two of them were adult sized, but the rest were small, child sized bones. The two adult skeletons seemed to be locked in an embra
ce with a smaller body between them.
I turned, pushed past Valerra, and jumped off the carriage. Ravi leaned against the side of the buried vehicle, and her head was turned up to the sky.
I stalked toward the phoenix, and she looked over at me and cocked her head to the side.
“Do your people have maps of the slave trade routes through here?” I growled.
Ravi blinked in surprise.
“I’m not sure, I’d have to ask when we reach the tribe,” she replied. “If we do, you are more than welcome to have them.” She paused and studied me. “Are you okay?”
“This needs to end,” I snarled as I clenched my fists and glared at the carriage. “Slave traders cannot be allowed inside Rahma. I need to find a way to stop them.”
“I think I can help with that,” Ravi said with a nod.
“How?” I asked her, but my rage still coursed through my blood and made my words sharper than I intended, so I took a deep breath. “Sorry.”
“My people can sense impure souls,” she explained gently. “Our fire will ensure their demise is as painful as possible. Many of the slave traders from the past thousand years have been burned as they tried to pass through the desert.”
“Why do you care so much about the lives of humans?” Valerra sneered as she jumped from the carriage. “Let them continue to destroy each other. A world without humans will be a better world.”
“These humans were innocent,” I argued as I shot the other dragon a stern look. “I won’t sit by and let innocent people suffer if I can do something about it.”
Valerra scoffed but didn’t say anything more in response, so I turned to Ravi.
“Have your people sensed any slavers lately?” I asked the phoenix.
“I’m not sure. My father prefers to keep me out of the messy affairs of our people.”
I frowned before I shifted into my dragon form. “Then let’s go. I want to talk to your father as soon as possible.”
Ravi nodded and climbed on my back. As soon as she was secure, I took off and continued to fly in the direction Ravi told me. Valerra joined us after a moment and flew below us.
I flapped in silence, since images of the skeletons inside the caravan still flashed through my thoughts, but the silence was broken a while later by Ravi.
“There! There they are!” She leaned over my side and pointed toward the ground. “Evan, fly down!”
In her excitement, she dropped my title, but I found I didn’t mind too much.
I scanned the area before I finally found what Ravi pointed at. There were some small dots of red, orange, and gold. From up high, they blended in almost seamlessly with the golden color of the sand, but I could see movement as the people below carried on with their lives.
Valerra followed me as I dove down, and I could hear the screams from the phoenixes as the crimson dragon and I landed.
Ravi quickly climbed down from my back and ran over to the village.
“Wait!” Ravi yelled urgently as she made her way toward the collection of tents. “Everyone, it’s okay! It’s me! The dragons have come to help!”
Valerra and I glanced at each other in confusion. I had been under the impression that Ravi had been sent by her tribe to find help.
The villagers seemed to calm down at Ravi’s presence, and the voices of several tribe members overlapped as they surrounded the princess.
“Ravi? You’re alive!”
“Ravi has returned!’’
“Where have you been?”
“We have all been so worried!”
Then a loud voice bellowed over the rest, and the tribe fell silent.
“Ravi!”
The crowd that surround Ravi parted, and a man dressed in red robes similar to Ravi’s stormed toward her. His long hair was the color gold and fell down his back, and his orange eyes burned in anger as he stopped in front of Ravi.
“What have you done?” he demanded as his gaze pinned her to the spot she was standing in.
“What needed to be done!” Ravi bit back with defiant blue eyes. “We cannot keep this up much longer! We need help, and I brought it to us.”
“You brought outsiders to us!” he shouted as he gestured wildly toward Valerra and me. “Do you even realize how dangerous that was? You are still a child, this was not your decision to make!”
“I am not a child!” Ravi argued. “You told me I would run the tribe one day, but how can I do that if you don’t trust me? I did this for the tribe!”
“No, you did this for you. If you truly did this for the tribe, you would have discussed this with myself and the elders. You made an impulsive choice. You wanted to be a hero.”
Ravi huffed and clenched her fists. Her blue eyes burned in anger, and I could tell this was getting nowhere, so I shifted into my human form and stepped forward.
“Sir, I am Lord Evan of Hatra el Shamash,” I introduced myself. “Ravi brought us because she said your people have a problem with an echidna colony?”
Ravi and the man both turned their glares to me, and the man seemed to assess me before he dipped his head down.
“Lord Evan, I am sorry we are to meet like this. I am Chief Fiyero, leader of the phoenixes.”
So, this was Ravi’s father.
Beside me, I saw Valerra shift into her human form as well, and Fiyero’s eyes darted to her.
“And you are the Crimson Dragon I presume?” he asked. “Your reputation was quite extraordinary, even a thousand years ago.”
Valerra smirked.
“I am called Valerra,” she said as he dipped his head to her.
“I would like to apologize for my daughter’s actions. It’s true that we have a problem, but we can handle it. It was not her place to bring you here.” He sent another disapproving look to Ravi, who matched his glare.
I could see the family resemblance.
“Ravi made it seem like your people were desperate for help,” I said.
“What did my daughter promise you?” Chief Fiyero asked me and ignored my statement.
I looked at Ravi, and she clenched her jaw.
“I want maps of the desert,” I replied. “Ravi said you have a cartographer who has nearly completed maps with the different trade routes.”
Chief Fiyero looked slightly surprised.
“I had expected a dragon would want jewels or money,” he mused. “I am terribly sorry, Lord Evan. Unfortunately, my daughter made you a promise she cannot keep. Those maps belong to my people and are not to be given to anyone outside of this tribe.”
“Papa, please,” Ravi began, but he silenced her with a hand.
“I have made up my mind. Ravi, you will return these dragons to their home. We have no need for strangers here.” He bowed his head once more at Valerra and me. “I am sorry my daughter has wasted your time.” Then he turned and began to walk away.
“Chief Fiyero, wait,” I called after him, and he froze and turned his head back toward me.
“Yes?”
“I left my people behind to come here,” I explained. “I left them so I could come and help your tribe. Ravi came to us because she knew you would all be killed by echidnas if you continued to run as you do now. If you really want to turn us away, fine. Just remember that we already know you’re here now. If I or even Valerra wanted to hurt you, we would have already. I’m sure you already know how dangerous a dragon can be.”
Chief Fiyero narrowed his eyes at that, but I pressed forward.
“I don’t care if they were not Ravi’s maps to give, I will not return home without them,” I said decidedly. “I will help you get rid of the echidnas, and you will give me the maps. If you still want to hide away after that, fine. I’ll make sure my people back home will not speak a word of your tribe. But we’re here now, so we might as well stick around to help you.”
Ravi stared at me from behind the chief, and I could tell she was impressed.
The chief, on the other hand, seemed to think for a moment and weighed his options.
Eventually, he sighed.
“Ravi.” He beckoned her forward, and she came to stand in front of him as he spoke to her. “You brought these dragons here, so you alone are responsible for them. If they betray us, you will be punished.”
She nodded solemnly in understanding.
“Of course,” she said before a smile stretched across her face. “They will not betray us, though, you have my word.”
The chief inclined his head and turned back to me.
“My daughter seems to trust you. Do not disappoint her, or me. The echidnas should be here any day. The last attack was nearly a week ago, right before Ravi left us in the night.”
He shot another glare at his daughter, but she ignored him.
“Okay, so we will stay here until they are taken care of,” I said, and the chief nodded.
Then he turned and walked away, toward a large tent, and vanished inside.
Ravi spun around to face me with a broad grin.
“That was incredible!” she exclaimed. “No one ever stands up to my father like that. I can’t believe you convinced him to let you stay!”
The phoenix stepped forward and hugged me tightly before she turned to Valerra. Ravi went in to hug the crimson dragon, too, but quickly put her hands down at Valerra’s glare.
“Yeah, about that,” I said dryly, “I thought your tribe wanted you to come find us? You never mentioned you ran away to find help against your father’s wishes. Why the hell did that seem like a good idea to you?”
“My father is a prideful and stubborn man,” she admitted sheepishly. “He also has a tendency to be very overprotective of me. I knew he would never let me leave to find help, but I also knew this is what my people needed. I only did what was best for my tribe. I’m sorry I hid things from you, but I didn’t want you to change your mind once you agreed.”
“Alright, just no more secrets, okay?” I sighed and rubbed my eyes. “We don’t need any more surprises. We were already attacked by the death scorpions and had to deal with a sandstorm.”
“I promise, no more secrets,” Ravi nodded, “I swear. And they are Deathstalkers, not death scorpions.”
“You fought off Deathstalkers?” the chief gasped as he reappeared from his tent. His voice was tinged with worry, and his attitude toward his daughter seemed to change instantly.
